Ginger Garlic Paste Recipes

King mushrooms braised in pineapple sauce makes a quick and easy side dish. The beautiful part of this dish is that it works both as a vegetable side dish and a meat substitute. King mushrooms have a chewier, more meaty texture than Portobello mushrooms, which is very pleasant if you're looking for a filling meal without a ton of calories.

The mushrooms are sliced, then braised in crushed pineapple and soy sauce. If you’re a true carnivore though, you could always replace the mushrooms with chicken breast.

These lamb kebabs are called kofta kebabs. Unlike Greek lamb gyros, the patties are pan-fried instead of grilled. I mixed the lamb with garam masala, ginger garlic paste, chiles, ground almonds and bread, which gives the kebabs a denser texture. The finished dish is very refreshing, served with roasted vegetable couscous or pita bread and hummus.

As I think I've told you, lamb is probably one of my favorite meats, but I don't cook it very often because of the high cholesterol. If you're serving lamb for a party, I would advise you to season the meat well with lots of spices to cover the strong, distinct smell that some people might not like.

Loquat and apricot may not make the most traditional chutney, but it is delicious. I’ve wanted to use the fresh loquats I got from my aunt to make a dish that really highlights the ingredient, and fruit chutney seemed like an obvious choice.

Since I made so much, I canned the chutney and stored it for future use. I let it rest for a week and opened our first jar today. The flavor was amazing. There were still some chunks of loquats in it, and the hint of spices from the red chili powder and mustard provided a mild, lingering heat that follows closely behind the sweetness of the fruit.

There are many ways to use the chutney, but I opted to pair it with roasted chicken breast wrapped in smoked turkey slices. A-ma-zing!

Pineapple tofu with king mushrooms is a great dish for both vegetarians and "meat-atarians", as my little munchkin would say. King mushrooms, also known as "abalone mushrooms", have a very meaty, chewy texture that I love. They complement the pineapple really well. If you can’t find fresh pineapple, canned crushed pineapple will work fine. I made a sweet and sour sauce using canned pineapple and dipped the fried tofu in the sauce with the mushrooms.

Even if you are a "meat-atarian", it’s worth working some vegetable dishes into your diet. It’s good for your health, and if you try recipes like this one, it will be good for your tastebuds as well.

Khổ qua nhưn tàu hũ, tofu stuffed bitter melon is similar to dishes you might have seen at Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants. The difference is that it's usually shrimp paste instead of tofu (tàu hũ) and eggplant or button mushrooms in place of the bittermelon, called cà tím nhưn tôm ("eggplants with shrimp paste" in Vietnamese). I made my own blend of ground tofu paste with fried tofu and vegetarian ham to resemble the color of shrimp paste. I then stuffed the mixture into the bittermelon rounds and steamed the vegetables. For more flavor, I pan-fried the tofu filling then braised the dumplings in sweet pineapple hoisin sauce.

I love this dish because it's so flavorful and the texture of the tofu is very similar to meat. My husband Lulu, who’s a vegetarian, really likes it even though he isn’t into meat substitutes. It just proves that there’s more to vegetarian and vegan cooking than just silken and firm tofu!